Over a majestic orchestral arrangement, Little Simz makes bold political statements on racial injustice, poverty, and identity.
Man, it's like they can't sleep until our spirit is crushed
I'm not into politics but I know it's dark times
Hearts of the world still living in apartheid
Written as the COVID pandemic took hold and the BLM movement swelled, "Introvert" is a powerful message about a troubled world.
An introvert by nature, Little Simz battles to navigate her innate shyness in an industry where everyone is expected to have an extroverted persona.
Sometimes I can be introvert
Feels like, feels like, feels like I can be introvertLittle Simz is intuitive and sensitive, allowing her to express her feelings in her art. "'Introvert' is essentially me finding power within my introversion," she told
I-D. "Turning inwards and finding peace within myself amongst all the chaos that's happening in the world; just trying to centre myself, ground myself, and ask myself real and honest questions in order to grow."
Little Simz expands on her struggles to overcome her shyness amid her rising fame.
I bottle up and then spill it in verses
One day, I'm wordless, next day, I'm a wordsmith
Close to success, but to happiness, I'm the furthest
At night, I wonder if my tears will dry on their own
Hoping I will fulfill Amy's purpose
Simz has been a huge fan of Amy Winehouse's music from an early age. The rapper alludes to late star, who passed away in July 2011, aged 27. "I feel like my life is just, I'm just getting started," Little Simz told Apple Music. "So it just put things into perspective that she literally had her whole life ahead of her, her whole career ahead of her. And I know she was someone that was, I didn't know her personally, but from interviews and seeing her whatnot, she really cared about the art."
The song is the opening track of Little Simz' fourth album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. "This was always going to intro the album from the moment it was made," Little Simz told Apple Music. "It feels like a battle cry, a rebirth. And with the title, you wouldn't expect this to sound so huge. But I'm finding the power within my introversion to breathe new meaning into the word."
Sometimes I Might Be Introvert is a backronym of her nickname "Simbi," part of Simz's full first name, Simbiatu.
Inflo produced the song along with the rest of Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. The British producer is known for his work with Adele and Michael Kiwanuka, and is also a member of the anonymous British neo-soul Sault collective.
West London singer Cleo Sol sings the refrain and the additional vocals. Sol is Inflo's Sault bandmate.
Actress Emma Corrin narrates the outro. She also voices the five interludes on Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. Simz was a huge fan of Corrin's portrayal of Lady Diana in The Crown and reached out to her. "Getting her on the record, I just knew that her adding her magic would take it somewhere else, she just has a great voice," she told I-D. "Everything she is saying on the interludes and at the end of "Introvert" are things that everyone should hear; you interpret it and digest it how you want but she was able to narrate it beautifully and in a way that doesn't feel preachy or like someone's talking down at you, or you know… something you might even just say to yourself."
The critics acclaimed Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, with both Exclaim! and BBC Radio 6 Music naming it as their best record of 2021. The album also topped a BBC News "poll of polls" that combined the results of 30 critics' end-of-year lists.
Sometimes I Might Be Introvert won the 2022 Mercury Prize. The judging panel said, "This accomplished and complex yet entirely accessible album is the work of someone striving constantly to push herself. It deals with themes both personal and political while putting them against music that is as sophisticated as it is varied. The Mercury Prize is all about shining a light on albums of lasting value and real artistry. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert has both."
